A Star Trek Legend Plays Horror’s Most Iconic Mother
One of the subjects I have passionately written about before is the unexpected joys you may discover when you go back and rewatch a “bad” film. For example, when I recently checked out the infamous remake of a horror classic, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Nana Visitor played Pamela Voorhees in the 2009 Friday the 13th. If you aren’t aware, she is best known for playing a Bajoran terrorist-turned-girlboss in the seminal series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
If you’ve already watched the movie and don’t remember seeing Nana Visitor in this most recent Friday the 13th film, it’s because she has a very abbreviated cameo appearance. The movie tries to cram several bits of iconic Jason Voorhees lore into a single story, so that means we get a brief flashback at the beginning that basically recreates the ending of the first Friday the 13th. Accordingly, our favorite Star Trek icon played Pamela Voorhees, the surprise killer of the original franchise outing who gets her head cut off by a would-be victim who becomes our first final girl.
Another reason why it’s so easy to forget that Nana Visitor appeared in Friday the 13th is that this movie follows up her flashback sequence with an extended cold open. We basically get introduced to an entirely different cast of young characters who are obsessed with sex and weed, and they get systematically murdered by Jason (who at first rocks an updated look of his bag-head appearance from the first sequel film). By the time we get introduced to the real cast of characters, it’s easy to forget that the movie began with a Star Trek legend playing one of horror’s most iconic roles.
Sadly, we don’t get to see Nana Visitor flex her significant acting chops after the flashback sequence of Friday the 13th. After all, getting her head chopped off as soon as the movie begins doesn’t leave room for her to do much else. However, as a huge Star Trek: Deep Space Nine fan, I wish that this movie was a proper remake of the original, right down to Pamela Voorhees being revealed as the killer. Very few people could match the performance of original Pam actor Betsy Palmer, but Visitor is so good in Deep Space Nine that I’m confident she could have carried the entire film.
If you just want to see more Nana Visitor in Friday the 13th, you’re in luck (more or less). As with the earlier entries in the franchise, Jason keeps her severed head in an odd bit of slasher sentimentality. The Star Trek actor’s head first appears in a bit of a jump scare, but it later takes on a surprising bit of narrative importance. That’s because this movie’s Final Girl realizes she has a surface-level resemblance to Pamela Voorhees and uses that to temporarily trick Jason in her bid to escape his clutches.
Should you wish to check out Nana Visitor’s memorable foray into horror, you can stream Friday the 13th (2009) on Max. Admittedly, the movie isn’t for everyone, which is why it has a bleak 26 percent critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes. But for those who want to see a Star Trek legend embody a horror legend, this surprisingly great remake (suck it, haters!) is more than worth the price of admission.
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